In the Wild: Rumored SIM Tray for Next-gen iPhone

A new SIM card tray for Apple’s next-generation iPhone was listed this week at the parts reseller website SW-Box. It was reported that the components has subtle differences compared with the tray found in iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S.

Labeled as the “iPhone 5 SIM Card Tray Holder Slot,” it has a slight tapering metal frame piece and extra metal shelf. If this is indeed a component of the upcoming Apple handset, this could be seen as evidence that the company is redesigning its device. However, they chose to make minor modifications instead of applying drastic changes.

Possible Components for the Next-gen iPhone

This is not the first time that Apple is rumored to take flight from its previous iPhone designs. It was reported that the company is planning to replace its next-generation iPhone’s glass back panel with liquidmetal alloy. There were also claims that the device will feature an in-cell touch panel technology, which will make a thinner handset possible.

Other than that, the upcoming Apple handset will have a curved back, although the liquidmetal back suggests that it will be flat. It is said that the mobile device will not use the micro-SIM standard that they’ve proposed, after a vote on standard by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute was postponed. That’s because the company and Nokia cannot make amends over the component’s design.

Apple’s next-generation iPhone was also rumored to sport a 4G LTE radio, as it is said to carry Qualcomm’s MDM9615 LTE chip. Just over a week ago, images of the alleged new home button for the upcoming mobile device emerged online. Although the part will be the same, it will have an internal redesign.

Apple: Reviewing for Potential Components

Apparently, the rumored iPhone part emerging on the Internet indicated that Apple is reviewing potential components for its next-generation handset. Expected to be released this fall, the company is allegedly in the midst of testing and evaluating parts submitted by suppliers for potential use.

The upcoming Apple handset will support voice and data connections on high-speed 4G networks, and it is expected to be a “world” device that is compatible with various LTE market. This will be considerably different from the new iPad, which only supports data connection over 4G LTE networks and only works with Verizon and AT&T.

Skyworks Solutions, TriQuint Semiconductor and Avago Technologies are the likely suppliers of potential components of the next-generation iPhone. In addition, the handset is said to be available around September or October of this year. That will be a year after iPhone 4S was made available to the public, which marked the change of the company’s typical iPhone launches in June or July.